A bridge lights the way 10/12/2009
 © Cox Architects One of the world's largest pedestrian footbridges opened very recently in Brisbane, Australia. The Kurilpa Bridge is the world's first solar powered bridge. Its solar panels power its own LED lighting, and also pump surplus power into the main grid. The bridge connects South Brisbane with the city center, and spans the Brisbane River. It has 84 solar panels. The bridge is aesthetically unique, as it is inspired from sailboats. The design has been described as 'beautiful, bold' and even 'fantastic' and 'unreal'. It is unlike most bridges we have seen. It has a sculpted structure, with a series of masts, cables and flying struts, similar to those on boats. It looks like a series of poles pointing spontaneously to the sky. At night the structure is dramatically lit. The LED lights allow for different lighting settings, changing according to the environment and for various events or festivals. The 84 solar panels are mounted on the bridge and can generate a daily output of 100KiloWatthour. This is enough to light the bridge in most lighting conditions. When the bridge is completely lit the solar panels can supply upto 75% of the needed power. The bridge is connected to the city electric grid, so that it can draw power, and put supply excess power back into the grid as and when possible. Such beauty and functionality however, did not come cheap. The Kurilpa Bridge cost 63 million Australian dollars. It is also regarded as the first bridge to use tensegrity, or tensional integrity design principles. These are structures that stand on a synergy between balanced tension and compression components. It creates exceptionally rigid structures, that can stand with minimum supports. Tensigrity was proposed and experimented with by Buckminster Fuller. The first significant structure to use tensigrity was the Seoul Olympic Gymnastics Arena for the 1988 Summer Olympics. Tensigrity structures respond to gravity but are not dependent on it for their structural peformance. The construction of this bridge started in 2007, and it was designed by the Australian firm, Cox Architects. During construction the bridge was dogged with controversy regarding safe construction and cost issues. But after opening it has been drawing attention across the world for its unique design and solar friendliness. Do have a look at the video below to see the bridge on its opening day. By Armeen Kapadia CommentsTue, 13 Oct 2009 00:36:26 This is really beautiful. It makes me really happe to see clean things, made with renewable sources of energy... Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:42:45 Thanks Shivani! Will write as often as we can on designisin :) Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:17:27 i love your product but it simce that your work is not complet i can find the dining table set please try and work on this thanks nice work Leave a Reply |   Every monthMay 2010 CategoriesAll |
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